Warmer Here With You
by thebazilelord
Summary: An unexpected storm has New York in a blackout and a surprise visitor at Beckett's door. Set somewhere early to mid-season 3. Obviously, Josh is not in the picture.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:Characters belong to ABC and the creators of Castle.

Summary: An unexpected storm has New York in a blackout and a surprise visitor at Beckett's door. Set somewhere mid-season 3, after 3XK and before Setup/Countdown. Obviously, Josh is not in the picture.

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><p>It was not supposed to be that bad of a storm. They were supposed to get a few inches of snow, and a severe drop in temperature, but that was it. Luckily, she is at home when the storm hits.<p>

She is sitting her bathtub, enjoying the warmth of the water and reading a book with a glass of wine, thanking the universe she didn't have to be out catching a killer in the biting cold winds.

She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice the increase howling out the window from the wind buffering the building. However, a few minutes later, when the lights flickered and died, there really was no way _not _to notice.

"Shit," she hisses as the darkness suddenly surround her, making her jump and whack her knee against the side of the tub.

She fumbles for a towel as she rises from the tub in complete darkness, knocking over a few bottles of soap in the process. She finally finds one and quickly dries off before putting on a robe. She can already feel the chill seeping through her apartment, meaning that the heating went out throughout the building as well. Great.

An automatic texting system from her building informs her that the storm has knocked out power throughout most of the area, and it would probably be out for a couple of days. Even better.

She manages to find her stash of candles and lights about a dozen of them, spreading them throughout her kitchen and living area. She moves to look out the window and is shocked to see the thick wall of snow flurries blowing in what looks like a fierce wind. It's then that she notices the howling. _Shit, it's a blizzard. _

She's gathering her thickest blankets and quilts and laying them on the couch when a sudden rap on the door makes her jump. _What the hell?_ Who would be insane enough to venture out in this weather? To her door, no less?

Opening the door, she physically steps back at the sight that greets her.

"Cas-Castle?" she gasps.

He's standing in her doorway, bundled up in a thick coat and a scarf wrapped around his neck, a hat is pulled down over his ears. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets and large white flakes are dusted all over his clothing and he is shivering from the snow that is soaking into his clothing.

"H-hi! I, um, I was out w-walking when the s-storm hit and your place was cl-closer…" he stutters, giving her a sheepish grin. He continues to stand there as she stares at him, her mind not quite caught up with what she is seeing and he's giving her this kind of shy look, embarrassed, like he's afraid she's going to shoot him for showing up like this and it's a look that is so unlike him that it's adorable. But his body convulses with a shiver and she is snapped back in to reality as she grabs his wrist and hauls him inside.

"What the hell were you doing outside in this?" she asks, incredulously.

"I was trying to clear my head so I could write, Didn't really exp-expect this, y-you know?" he responds as she pulls him through her bedroom and into the bathroom.

"Well it's not like it's a nice spring day outside," she responds sarcastically.

"What can I say, I like the cold. Oooh, never seen your room before," he grinned.

"Shut up, you need to get warm, and we're not done talking about this" she retorts, rolling her eyes. She pulls out a soft fluffy towel and lays it on the counter by the tub before she turns to leave the room. "I'll put some of my dad's old clothes that I have laying around out on the bed for when you're done."

"Aw, you mean you aren't gonna join me?" He pouted.

"No, Castle," she huffs "I'll see you when you're finished."

"Thank you," he says, his pout disappearing as he gives her one of his soft smiles he saves just for her. As always, it makes her heart stutter.

She returns the smile "Of, course." She closes the door and walks into the bedroom to gather the clothes as she hears the spray of the shower turn on and the low sound of Castle humming to himself. _Castle's in her shower,_ she thinks. Just a door separates her and a naked Castle. It would be so easy for her to just slip in and join him and press herself against his wet, chiseled ch—No, no she is _not_ thinking about Castle naked in her bathroom and she is definitely not thinking about joining him. No way. Never. Not gonna happen.

She moves into the kitchen, deciding to put as much distance between her and Castle as possible. She puts a kettle on the stove for some hot cocoa, grateful for having a gas stove for once. Shivering, she grabs one of the blankets off the couch and sits in the relative darkness until she hears the door to her bedroom open and Castle steps out. He is wearing a pair of grey sweats and a dark blue hoodie that brings out the cerulean blue of his eyes. His wet hair is ruffled where he has dried it with a towel and it makes him look absolutely adorable.

"What?" he asks. Damn, she had been staring.

"Uh, um…nothing," she gets out quickly, standing up to walk into the kitchen to try to hide the red that was creeping up her cheeks. "I'm making us some cocoa if you want some." She says, trying to divert his attention elsewhere.

"Sounds good," he replies with a knowing grin and _damn it,_ she needs to get a grip. Of course he would notice.

She quickly prepares their drinks and hands one to him as she walks back to the couch. Their fingers brush in the process and it sends tingles up her arm. They had been doing that a lot lately when he has handed her coffee and she knows it is on purpose. But what surprises her is not only how much she does not mind it, but how much she actually _likes_ it.

They sit down on the couch and she chastises herself for being disappointed that he puts four inches between them, fully expecting him to sit close enough for them to touch. She writes it off as just wanting the warmth he would supply. So she says nothing and makes no show of it, instead simply handing him one of the blankets, which he gratefully accepts.

"So, I guess this means you have to stay here tonight, huh?" she says, narrowing her eyes at him.

His eyes widen as he stammers out an answer. "Well, I-I was just trying to get out of the storm, I wasn't-wasn't really thinking," he trails off and he truly looks panicked.

"Its okay, Castle, I'm just giving you a hard time. But have you told Alexis? I mean, she has to be worried by now?"

He relaxes and his face turns into another one of those soft smiles. "All taken care of. I called her right before I came out here. Told her that I was safe and with you and she made sure to chastise me for going out in the first place, which I guess is warranted"

"She's a good kid" Kate replies with a small smile.

"Yeah, she is."

They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. She suddenly shivers, the cold now seeping through, even with the blanket. Castle looks like he wants to reach over and wrap his arms around her and part of her wishes that he would.

"So, do you have cards or anything? Something we could do to keep our minds off the cold?" he asks.

"Um, not cards but I do have Scrabble, if you're up to it?"

"Oooh, Scrabble! Now that's my kind of game. Are you sure you want to go up against _me _in a word game? I mean, I am the best-selling author here, and I'll have you know, I have never lost a game of Scrabble." He grins

"And I'll have you know that he who brags doesn't get another cup of cocoa. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're the one who appreciated my impressive _articulation_? You _rescinding_ that now?" She quips. Making sure to emphasize what he would call the four-dollar words

"Oh, oh definitely not! You're on! And you will definitely owe me that second cup of cocoa when I inevitably win." He challenges.

"Oh, we'll see about that!"

And instantly, the raging storm outside and the chill of the apartment was completely forgotten.

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><p>Authors note: So this took a different direction than I intended for when I started out this fic, so it will most likely be turned into a two or three-shot depending on if you guys want me to continue.<p>

Also, thank you Leah for being my awesome beta and for helping me out when I got stuck! You guys should go check out her story and her tumblr, which are both under the name encantadaa.:)

Thanks for reading! I hope you like it!

-Ellie

**tumblr:** lord-of-the-song

**fff2(co-op account)**:CaskettBudies


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yeah, definitely not mine.

Author's note: Sorry this took so long. On top of Thanksgiving last week, I got pretty sick and obviously wasn't able to write. But here's chapter 2!

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><p>It's not possible. Absolutely not possible. How could this have happened? She actually beat him at Scrabble. He's never lost a game before in his life, and his first time up against Beckett, she beat him by spades.<p>

He was so sure he had won, He was ahead by close to 40 points and she was down to the last seven tiles in her hand. She spent a long time with her lip pulled between her teeth and her eyes darting back and forth between the board and her tiles. He was so sure that she was going to call it quits. But then she broke into a grin, reaching out to place all seven of her tiles.

Ordinary. That was the word she had placed, using the "a" of "allusion." But not only that, she had tagged the word onto his existing "extra" to form the word "extraordinary".

"Lets see, 'ordinary' gets me twelve points, 'R' and 'I' are on double letter spaces so that's an extra two, the 'Y' is on a double word space so that brings the total to twenty-eight… add the twelve points of 'extra' so that's forty, and fifty points for using all of my tiles… so that brings my total up to 90 points," she beamed as she reached for the score card. "That puts me at 495 and you at only….a measly 453, which makes me the winner. Ha!" She exclaims triumphantly, throwing the pad of paper and pen onto the table with a gleeful smile.

She actually beat him at scrabble. And it completely floors him

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><p>She sits and watches his face as he stares at the board in utter confusion and she can't help but burst into laughter as the disbelief slowly spreads across it. "This isn't possible," he mutters to himself.<p>

"What's the matter, Castle, afraid to admit you lost?"

What? No! just—I—you cheated, you must have. I _never _lose,"

"Oh you're calling _me _a cheater? A cop? Your partner? Wow, that's just low." She retorts.

"I—no, of course not—I would never—I just can't believe I lost." He huffs.

"I guess you finally met your match."

"Yeah, I guess I have," He says quietly, meeting her eyes with a soft smile on his face. The sincerity in his eyes catches her off-guard and she holds his gaze for many seconds before breaking away to step into the kitchen. She knows that she should stop trying to ignore it and just admit to the feelings she knows she has for him. It would make things so much easier. And she knows that he has feelings for her too. That moment was definite proof of that.

"I'm-I'm gonna get that hot chocolate now." She stutters, trying to ignore how her heart is racing.

Castle quickly nods and turns back to the scrabble board silently. "You really are extraordinary," he mumbles. It stops her in her tracks, and she turns to face him.

"What?"

His face blushes a bright red, like he obviously didn't intend to let the words slip. "It's true. You're extraordinary, Kate." And just for a moment she can see the longing in his eyes, the candlelight making his eyes shine with it, before he quickly manages to mask it with his usual charm. "I mean, how else could you beat _me_ at scrabble? You would have to be pretty amazing to manage that feat." And just like that, he's back to joking, breaking what she knows was a meaningful moment. And she realizes that he is scared to admit it himself too, what he feels, even though it shows in almost everything he does. She wonders how much of that has to do with her.

So she decides that, just for a moment, she can let her emotions show as well. "For the record, I think you're pretty extraordinary too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

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><p>Despite the initial shock of it, he finds that he really doesn't mind that she managed to beat him. In fact, he's actually kind of proud of her and he should have expected nothing less of her. If anyone was going to beat him, he would want it to be her<p>

What he can't stop thinking about, is her. The little looks she's been giving him, the flirtatious way she's been teasing him all night that she probably has not even realized she's been doing - it ignites something in his chest that's fierce and he wishes more than anything that they could cut through this crap and just admit to each other how they feel, if what she feels is even remotely close to what he feels for her. But he's knows he is partly at fault for this dance that they do. Because he is afraid that if he admits to her that he loves her – and he really believes that he does –that she will tuck-tail and run. And it would kill him if she ran.

He is brought out of his thoughts as a steaming mug of hot cocoa is shoved under his nose. He looks up at her in surprise.

"What's this for? I thought it was only for winners?" he asks, giving her a sly look.

"Yeah, well it's fucking freezing in here so I figured I would be nice this once." She shrugs. "Plus I just felt bad for you since you just suffered such a tragic loss," she teases with a grin.

"Oh haha, that's very funny."

She just smiles and plops down next to where he is seated on the couch. He dares to scoot closer to where their thighs are touching and takes the even bigger risk of wrapping his arm around her shoulder, because he really couldn't help himself. "What? It's cold, and you're warm," he says when she gives him a sidelong glance. And it's not untrue.

He's amazed that she does not pull away but he does not dare to push it further. They sit in a companionable silence and drink their cocoa while they watch the flicker of the candles and the shadows the light casts bounce off the walls. It's peaceful, he thinks, and its moments like this where the longing for them to be more flares the most. And the heat of her body pressed against his is causing his heart to flutter in his chest. He does not even notice that he's pulling her closer into him until his cheek is resting on top of her head and he feels her stiffen.

"Castle" she warns.

"Sorry" he murmurs and quickly sits up. But even he can hear the disappointment in his voice. Damn it, he needs to keep himself under control.

He tries to return to their original position but she seems to have distanced herself from him on the couch and has wrapped her blanket tightly around her shoulders. She's distancing herself from him and it seems so sudden that he's caught off-guard.

"Kate, are you okay? Did I do something?" he asks warily.

"It's nothing." She dismisses. But it's not nothing.

"Kate-"

"You know it's getting really late, I'm going to head to bed."

"_Kate_." he tries again.

"I'll get out some extra blankets for you. I don't have and extra bed so you'll have to take the couch." She says, quickly getting off the couch, ignoring his pleas.

He sighs and simply watches as she retrieves the blankets and sets them on the couch the complete opposite side of where he is still sitting.

She turns and walks towards her room in silence. When she gets to her door she gives him a fleeting smile. "Goodnight, Castle" she says softly. She shuts the door behind her and he is left sitting completely dumbstruck staring at her closed door.

"Goodnight." He says into the silence.

What the hell just happened?

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><p>I guess this is gonna be a multi-chapter after all! Thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon!<p>

-Ellie

Tumblr: lord-of-the-song


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I'm sooooo bad at updating. But the holidays have been busy so I haven't had the time. However, I have not forgotten this story!_

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><p>She feels guilty as soon as she had closed the door to her room, leaving Castle standing disappointed and confused in her living room. She knows she pulled an emotional one-eighty, but the memories had hit her so fast and so hard that she retreated.<p>

She had forgotten, in the midst of everything, that tomorrow is the anniversary of her mother's death. And sitting there with Castle, snuggled up with blankets and his arm around her shoulder, suddenly brought flashbacks of how they used to do that as a family on cold winter nights: her, her mother, and her father. And suddenly she could not take it and she had bolted. His presence alone had made her feel warm and happy, causing her to temporarily forget about the impending date and the cold that had begun to fill her apartment. It had been such a nice evening with him, and before she bolted, the cove of his body had warmed both her body and her spirit. Of course, she will never admit any of this to him. She's not sure that she's ready to admit her feelings to him just yet.

She knows she should go out and apologize and explain to him, but she has been sitting on the floor of her room for the past fifteen minutes and he is probably already asleep.

She hopes he is alright on the couch and that the blankets warewarm enough for him. She wishes she could at least give him a better place to sleep.

But she is not going to worry about that now. She cannot bring herself to go back out and face them, even knowing she hurt him. And all of her confused emotions just bubble up inside of her and the tears begin to slip down her cheeks. She slowly lifts herself up from her position on the floor and crawls onto her bed, not even bothering to get under te covers as she cries herself to sleep.

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><p>She wakes the next morning with crusty eyes and a heavy feeling in her chest. It takes her a few minutes for the memories of the previous night to come back. The memories of her and Castle.<p>

_Castle_.

The guilt hits her and she realizes that she has to go out and face him, apologize and explain. She lays in her bed for a minute, building up the courage to move. She eventually drags herself out of bed and into the bathroom. She splashes water on her face in an attempt to get the emotion of the night off. She pulls on a robe, takes a deep breath and then steps out of her room.

She shuffles out into the dim living room, the power still out. The first thing she notices, next to the biting chill that still lingers in the apartment, is that Castle is not there. The blankets he used laying neatly folded on the couch.

But then the smell of coffee and the sound of someone rustling around in her kitchen registers, and she lets out a deep sigh of relief.

She movies quickly into the kitchen and he is standing at her island, pouring coffee out of a coffee press she rarely uses.

"Morning" he says softly as he hands her the mug and reaches for another, his eyes not quite meeting hers as he gives her a tentative smile.

"Hey, Castle," she responds just as softly. "I thought you had left."

"Well, it's not like I can actually _go _anywhere unless I wanna trudge through a wall of snow." he replies in a weak attempt at humor. Though she can tell that it's more honest than not.

"Right," she sighs.

He looks at her hesitantly, as if he is not sure where he stands right now with her. In all honesty, he probably does not.

"Castle -"

"What happened last night, Kate?" he asks.

"I -" Suddenly she does not know if she can say it, the memories of today too painful. "It was nothing. I was just tired." she deflects.

He sighs in frustration. "Kate, I know that's not true. You bolted. Everything was going fine, and then you just suddenly freaked out and ran. So please tell me the truth. What did I do? I thought we were having… fun…"

Her shoulders slump. He is right, and she owes him the truth. He needs to know that it was not his fault "It wasn't you, okay? Not completely."

"Not completely?"

"It's just – today – today is the anniversary of her death," She hears him suck in a breath, but she continues before has a chance to speak. "I had forgotten about it, in the midst of everything," She raises her eyes to his. "You helped me forget, and I had fun. But once things settled down and we were… on the couch… it just brought back memories of when we used to huddle like that as a family, and I remembered again. I guess I just – panicked." She lets out a deep breath and squeezes her eyes shut, trying not to let the grief of today overwhelm her. She suddenly does not want to be here She can't let him see her break. But before she can get the chance, she feels a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around her, and he squeezes her tightly against him.

And it's such a _nice _feeling that she cannot help but bury her head into his chest, bringing her hands up to grip his shirt. "She takes deep gasping breaths for a moment, but by some miracle, she is able to calm herself down, and manages to keep the tears that threaten to fall at bay.

She stands there for many minutes, wrapped in his comfort. She cannot help but wish that she could always have this, and she knows that if she just asks, she can. But this just proves that she is not ready yet.

They finally pull away from each other, and she instantly misses his warmth as the chilly air hits her. He is smiling at her with such a soft look in his eyes. "Maybe I can help make this day less sad for you." he says softly, a hopeful look suddenly filling his eyes again.

How?" she rasps.

"I know I can't make you forget, but maybe we can just remember her life instead of her death? You could…tell me about her, about your childhood? Remembering the good instead of the bad?"

She stares at him for a moment with a unreadable expression on her face and he wonders if he misspoke.

But then she smiles at him, her eyes surprisingly bright. "Well, I guess since we are stuck her together for a while, we might as well make the best of if."

He lets out a surprised laugh at her sudden joke and grabs her by the hand, leading her to the couch.

He hands her one of the blankets that is still sitting there, then wraps another one around himself.

She brings her legs up onto the couch and faces him.

"So. Where do you want me to start?"

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><p>They talk for hours, getting lost in the stories of her childhood, some funny, some sweet, others downright adorable, though he will never tell her that. He can visibly see most of the sadness slip away, leaving only a small trace of it in her eyes.<p>

"… She was so angry she refused to talk to him for three days," she concludes the story of when her father bought her a car as a surprise anniversary gift coming to a close.

She is actually laughing, chuckling with mirth at the memory. He cannot help but think about how beautiful it makes her look, her face bright in the dull light that manages to filter through the windows.

He isbrought back to reality by the loud growl his stomach decides to let out at that moment. She bursts out laughing and he can feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "We didn't have any breakfast," he grumbles But he can't be too embarrassed, not with that smile on her face.

She stands up and reaches a hand out to him, pulling him up from the couch. 'C'mon, let's see if we can find something to eat that's not gonna require electricity to make."

They walk to the kitchen and he suddenly realizes how late in the day it is. "I uh- I need to call Alexis" he stammers. "Give me a few minutes?"

"Of course," she replies. But before he can leave the room, she reaches out and grabs his hand. He turns to her with a confused look on his face. "Thank you, Castle, for making today better for me. This day has never been good to me but… today it was, so, thank you."

He gives her a soft smile, and leans in to brush a kiss her cheek.

"Always."

He turns and walks out of the room to make his call, and she feels a warmth spread through her from where his lips had been.

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><p><em>I know that it is short, but I hope you liked it! It is becoming longer than intended and I will try to get out chapters more quickly<em>

_Thanks for reading!_


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